Lodge Snake

As I enter my last week at William and Mary, it seems that all of the hidden beauty of this campus is jumping out at me, including this black rat snake (Pantherophis obsoletus) who I found this morning forming a roadblock between the Daily Grind and my home, Lodge 16. I quickly caught it, much to the dismay of a UC employee on her smoke break, and ran for my camera. The woman interrupted her phone call to warn me about this snake's bite, but I assured her (as the snake lunged for my ankles) it was not the kind she thought it was. I later learned that this guy is a really good climber, after he scampered away from me and hid in up in a nearby dogwood.